Red light jumper gets short shrift.

Simon Mason

A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a red
light gets no sympathy in our local paper.

http://www.swldxer.co.uk/zredlight.jpg

--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/

mtbnewbie

As a cyclist I too have no sympathy for this rider. It is riders like him that give all of us a bad name. The bad apple that spoils the bunch.

That being I must admit that I myself have been a bad apple the odd time too. I have run the odd red light and sometimes a stop sign too, though very infrequently.

I am not proud of this and if I was to get caught and given a ticket I like to think I would be resposible enough to own up to it and pay the fine without moaning about it. After all it is against the law and I don't have the right to run the red, no matter how inconvienient or trivial it may seem to stop.

Having read this I hope I will think more clearly the next time the urge to jump the light or skip a stop sign hits me. It may very well save me from being hit myself.

Robert Johnstone

Simon Mason wrote:
> A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a
> red light gets no sympathy in our local paper.

Quite right too. The last person on a BSO who I commented on going
through a red light at a crossing ("That was a red light you just went
through!") replied with "Get a proper bike!". I was wheeling my Brompton
over the crossing at the time. I couldn't help laughing like a drain (a
drain that laughs loudly in the street, that is...).

Bob

spindrift

Robert Johnstone wrote:
> Simon Mason wrote:
> > A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a
> > red light gets no sympathy in our local paper.
>
> Quite right too. The last person on a BSO who I commented on going
> through a red light at a crossing ("That was a red light you just went
> through!") replied with "Get a proper bike!". I was wheeling my Brompton
> over the crossing at the time. I couldn't help laughing like a drain (a
> drain that laughs loudly in the street, that is...).
>
> Bob


I stopped at a zebra crossing on Shoreditch High Street and both the
lady on the crossing and I yelled after a cyclist who zoomed up on the
pavement.

"Sorry" he said when i caught up with him:


"I've no brakes!".


There really is no answer to that, or to the cyclist who jumped every
red light going down City Road and who, when I reminded her that it
was dangerous, agreed heartily and said:


"Once a car nearly hit me!"

Roger Merriman

Robert Johnstone <rijohnstone@physics.org> wrote:

> Simon Mason wrote:
> > A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a
> > red light gets no sympathy in our local paper.
>
> Quite right too. The last person on a BSO who I commented on going
> through a red light at a crossing ("That was a red light you just went
> through!") replied with "Get a proper bike!". I was wheeling my Brompton
> over the crossing at the time. I couldn't help laughing like a drain (a
> drain that laughs loudly in the street, that is...).
>
> Bob

i find that catching up to them partical if they are going for the
"courier" look and leaving them for dead on a bike with paniers, front
basket etc, drives the point home! ;-)

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

bugbear

mtbnewbie wrote:
> As a cyclist I too have no sympathy for this rider. It is riders like
> him that give all of us a bad name. The bad apple that spoils the
> bunch.
>
> That being I must admit that I myself have been a bad apple the odd
> time too.

If we're in "chest baring" mode, I've run red lights.

But only on Pelican crossings with excessive
"red time" where the people who pressed the button
are long gone, and no other peds are near.

I feel this is reasonable-ish.

BugBear

David Hansen

On Mon, 19 May 2008 11:35:46 +0100 someone who may be
NEWS@wodger.demon.co.uk (Roger Merriman) wrote this:-

>i find that catching up to them partical if they are going for the
>"courier" look and leaving them for dead on a bike with paniers, front
>basket etc, drives the point home! ;-)

I am told that overtaking some poser while riding a Brompton and
wearing a floral dress causes the poser what appears to be great
discomfort as he (it nearly always is a he I suspect) tries to catch
up and overtake.

While I have never done this in a dress, floral or plain, some
people in lycra, sun glasses and so on do seem somewhat upset to be
overtaken by someone on a small wheeled bike. It must be some part
of the male persuasion which does not affect me.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

Phil Cook

David Hansen wrote:

>On Mon, 19 May 2008 11:35:46 +0100 someone who may be
>NEWS@wodger.demon.co.uk (Roger Merriman) wrote this:-
>
>>i find that catching up to them partical if they are going for the
>>"courier" look and leaving them for dead on a bike with paniers, front
>>basket etc, drives the point home! ;-)
>
>I am told that overtaking some poser while riding a Brompton and
>wearing a floral dress causes the poser what appears to be great
>discomfort as he (it nearly always is a he I suspect) tries to catch
>up and overtake.

There are tales of stealth tourists with panniers full of polystyrene
in the Lancashire Moors area who go looking for roadies to burn off up
the drags.

When I was a roadie I often felt aggrieved by the local oiks on BSOs
who would burn us up as we staggered back to town after a training
ride. I eventually learned to ignore them.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

Mark

On Sun, 18 May 2008 13:34:34 +0100, "Simon Mason"
<simonmason@simonmason.karoo.co.uk> wrote:

>A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a red
>light gets no sympathy in our local paper.

When waiting at a red light a few days ago a motorist next to me
looked at me with a very puzzled expression and said "why are you
waiting there?"

--
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(='.'=) Owing to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking most articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.
See http://improve-usenet.org

Martin

bugbear wrote:
> mtbnewbie wrote:
>> As a cyclist I too have no sympathy for this rider. It is riders like
>> him that give all of us a bad name. The bad apple that spoils the
>> bunch.
>>
>> That being I must admit that I myself have been a bad apple the odd
>> time too.
>
> If we're in "chest baring" mode, I've run red lights.
>
> But only on Pelican crossings with excessive
> "red time" where the people who pressed the button
> are long gone, and no other peds are near.

Many pelican crossings are gradually being replaced with puffin
crossings, which AIUI should reduce the "red time" after peds. have
finished crossing.

> I feel this is reasonable-ish.

JNugent

Mark wrote:

> "Simon Mason" <simonmason@simonmason.karoo.co.uk> wrote:

>> A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a red
>> light gets no sympathy in our local paper.

> When waiting at a red light a few days ago a motorist next to me
> looked at me with a very puzzled expression and said "why are you
> waiting there?"

Cognitive dissonance.

Simon Mason

"Mark" <i@getlotsofspamthankstoplus.net> wrote in message
news:3o1334h0agk5ocujb59hv333qoaj4sueqh@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 18 May 2008 13:34:34 +0100, "Simon Mason"
> <simonmason@simonmason.karoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>A cyclist who moaned about getting a 30 quid fine for cycling through a
>>red
>>light gets no sympathy in our local paper.
>
> When waiting at a red light a few days ago a motorist next to me
> looked at me with a very puzzled expression and said "why are you
> waiting there?"


I would have said "why aren't you on the 'phone?" ;-)


--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/

Tom Crispin

On Mon, 19 May 2008 17:55:55 +0100, Martin <martin.dann@virgin.net>
wrote:

>
>bugbear wrote:
>> mtbnewbie wrote:
>>> As a cyclist I too have no sympathy for this rider. It is riders like
>>> him that give all of us a bad name. The bad apple that spoils the
>>> bunch.
>>>
>>> That being I must admit that I myself have been a bad apple the odd
>>> time too.
>>
>> If we're in "chest baring" mode, I've run red lights.
>>
>> But only on Pelican crossings with excessive
>> "red time" where the people who pressed the button
>> are long gone, and no other peds are near.
>
>Many pelican crossings are gradually being replaced with puffin
>crossings, which AIUI should reduce the "red time" after peds. have
>finished crossing.

I am often impressed with modern toucan crossings. They seem to be
able to detect when all cyclists and pedestrians have finished
crossing.

Martin

Tom Crispin wrote:
> On Mon, 19 May 2008 17:55:55 +0100, Martin <martin.dann@virgin.net>
> wrote:
>> Many pelican crossings are gradually being replaced with puffin
>> crossings, which AIUI should reduce the "red time" after peds. have
>> finished crossing.
>
> I am often impressed with modern toucan crossings. They seem to be
> able to detect when all cyclists and pedestrians have finished
> crossing.

Puffin and some modern toucan crossings have sensors to detect when
pedestrians are still crossing, and change the lights for road traffic
accordingly. I think that these don't have a flashing amber phase, but
have a red-amber phase instead, like traffic lights at road junctions.